Humanities, Computing, and Design Bachelor of Science Degree

RIT's bachelor of science in humanities, computing, and design pairs digital tools with computing to further a range of liberal arts fields, including anthropology, communication, culture, history, journalism, literature, and the arts. It creates new possibilities for these traditional fields by integrating digital technologies, computing skills, visual communication, data analytics, and more.

Career opportunities encompass endless ways to pair digital technologies with the liberal arts. For example:

• Journalists must have a strong foundation in social media and web content strategy as people turn to their digital devices to consume news and information.
• Advertising and marketing on social media are created using traditional market research to identify a target audience and advanced digital technologies to engage and track the behaviors of those users.
• Storytelling in games requires a writer to understand the function and gameplay of a particular interactive world as well as the creative writing skills to craft a captivating story.
• Visual communication (infographics, interactive content, motion graphics) must be dynamic, compelling, and effective as it’s used to present evidence in court cases, sell products in stores, and communicate instructions or directions. 
• Museums and cultural institutions are creating new and exciting ways to integrate digital technologies to educate the public, engage visitors, and enhance the guest experience.
• Hotels, amusement parks, and resorts are turning to interactive apps that plan and manage guest experiences, wearables that unlock guest room doors and serve as your admission ticket, and a host of digital tools that enable online check-in, food ordering, and more.

RIT’s Degree in Humanities, Computing and Design 

This major is uniquely interdisciplinary. You’ll pair course work in three of RIT’s colleges–College of Liberal Arts, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, and College of Art and Design–to understand the historical and cultural contexts for, and to think critically about, how new technologies can impact traditional areas of the liberal arts.

Partnerships within RIT with the RIT Libraries, The Cary Graphic Arts Collection, and The RIT Press, as well as external relationships with The Library Company of Philadelphia and Malmö University in Sweden, provide distinctive opportunities for imagination and application.

As a student in the humanities, computing, and design major, you will learn to employ a range of tools and techniques, including:

• 3D design visualization
• Geospatial technology
• Electronic literature

The major also fosters critical analysis of digital culture, social media, and digital games. Team-based projects and public engagement are hallmarks of the program.

A Unique Pairing of Courses

The humanities, computing, and design major combines information science and technologies with the liberal arts to provide you with the integrative literacy increasingly necessary for careers in cultural institutions, government, educational institutions, and technology firms. You’ll take courses in:

• New media design
• Web and mobile design and development
• Database and data modeling
• Computing

Professional electives enable you to gain knowledge in areas you can apply directly to your professional pursuits, such as:

• Multi-platform journalism
• Digital design in communication
• Gaming and literature
• 2D animation and asset production
• Museums in the digital age

You’ll also gain broad knowledge as well as expertise in an area of specialization. A minor or immersion adds a secondary area of study.

Hands-On Experience to Gain Real-World Skills

In the humanities, computing, and design major, you will gain invaluable hands-on experience:

• A senior capstone project allows you to tackle a humanities computing problem and propose an innovative solution.
• At least one block of cooperative education and internship means full-time, paid career experience in industry.
• Team-based projects and lab courses.
• Study abroad or in an international co-op to enhance your understanding of global cultures.

Furthering Your Education in Humanities, Computing, and Design

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

• +1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate learning and position you for success.

RIT’s Teaching Partnership Programs

Whether your goal is to go into early childhood or elementary education, become a secondary education teacher with a content area specialty at the middle or high school level, or work in the higher education or counseling fields, RIT’s partnership programs with local universities provide a guided pathway to a career in teaching. 

These 4+1 or 3+2 programs enable you to earn your bachelor’s degree at RIT and a master’s degree in education at one of our partner universities. As you progress, you’ll benefit from focused academic advising, career exploration opportunities, and resources for research, learning, and skill development.  

RIT's humanities, computing, and design degree is eligible for RIT’s Teaching Partnership Program. 

Learn more about RIT’s Teaching Partnership Programs.